1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope, an endoscope system, and a filter unit, and more particularly to an endoscope, an endoscope system that has a high temperature and high pressure steam supplying device for sterilizing the endoscope by a high temperature and high pressure steam, and a filter unit that is used for the endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an endoscope is widely used in a medical field and the like. An operator can observe an internal organ in a body cavity by inserting an elongated insertion portion of the endoscope into the body cavity, and perform various types of medical treatments using medical instruments inserted through a medical instrument insertion channel when necessary.
A bendable portion and a distal portion are provided at a distal end of the insertion portion, and the operator and the like can change an observation direction of an objective lens of an observation optical system disposed in the distal portion by bending the bendable portion and the distal portion through a wire connected to a manipulator unit of the endoscope.
In order to prevent infections from spreading among patients, an exterior surface of the endoscope and an interior of a channel member such as the insertion channel disposed in an interior covered by an exterior member of the endoscope must be disinfected and sterilized after completion of patient inspection and the like using the endoscope. Conventionally, the disinfection and the sterilization are performed by using an antiseptic solution and a gas such as an ethylene oxide gas (EOG).
However, when the sterilizing gas is used for the disinfection and the sterilization of the endoscope, management of the endoscope after the disinfection and the sterilization is troublesome. For example, aeration is necessary in order to sufficiently remove a sterilizing gas adhered on the endoscope after the disinfection and the sterilization. Further, there is a problem that a high running cost is required to use the sterilizing gas.
Management of the antiseptic solution is also complicated for the operator when the antiseptic solution is used for the disinfection and the sterilization of the endoscope. Further, a high cost is required to dispose the used antiseptic solution.
To cope with the above problems, recently, a method and a device for a high temperature and high pressure steam sterilizing process (referred to as autoclave process in the following) which have a low running cost and do not require the troublesome operation, come to be widely used as the method and the device for the sterilization of the endoscope device.
A method of the autoclave process for preventing damage of an outer coat of the endoscope due to a difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the endoscope is proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-51323). According to the method, in order to prevent the damage, an inlet (hereinafter, referred to as a steam inlet) through which the high temperature and high pressure steam is supplied into the interior covered by the exterior member of the endoscope is provided in the exterior member of the endoscope; the steam enters the endoscope interior when the autoclave process is performed.